Page 479 – Electronics-Lab.com

STEF01 – 8 V to 48 V fully programmable universal eFuse

Posted on 6 December, 2019 by mixos

The STEF01 is a 8V to 48V fully programmable universal integrated electronic fuse optimized for monitoring output current and the input voltage on DC power lines.

When connected in series to the main power rail, it is able to detect and react to overcurrent and overvoltage conditions. When an overload condition occurs, the device limits the output current to a safe value defined by the user. If the anomalous overload condition persists, the device goes into an open state, disconnecting the load from the power supply.

The device is fully programmable. UVLO, overvoltage clamp and start-up time can be set by means of external components.

The adjustable turn-on time is useful to keep the in-rush current under control during startup and hot-swap operations. The device provides either thermal latch and auto-retry protection modes, which are selectable by means of a dedicated pin.

The STEF01 provides a gate driver pin for an external power MOSFET to implement a reverse-current blocking circuit. The intervention of the thermal protection is signaled to the board monitoring circuits through a signal on the fault pin.

Key features

Operating input voltage range: 8 to 48 V
Absolute maximum input voltage: 55 V
Continuous current typ.: 4 A
N-channel on-resistance typ.: 30 mΩ
Enable/fault functions
Output clamp voltage: adjustable from 10 to 52 V
Programmable undervoltage lockout
Short-circuit current limit
Programmable overload current limit
Adjustable soft-start time
Latch or auto-retry thermal protection
Maximum allowable power protection
Power Good
Drives an optional external reverse current protection MOSFET
Operating junction temperature -40 °C to 125 °C
HTSSOP14 package

more information: www.st.com

Free Elektor Circuit – An NE555 Watchdog Timer

Posted on 6 December, 2019 by mixos

from an Idea by Wolfgang Borst (Germany)

Virtually every modern microcontroller has a built-in watchdog. It prevents the microcontroller ‘hanging’ which may be the result of a programming error or an unforeseen operating condition, where, for example, the program becomes trapped in an infinite loop and no longer reacts to external or internal input. In principle, this built-in watchdog feature is a timer that needs to be regularly reset by a special command within a certain time interval. If this command is not issued it indicates that the program has gone off-piste, the timer times-out and issues a reset. This will then initiate a system reboot.

So that covers every eventuality?

Well, not necessarily, in very rare cases CMOS circuits – and a microcontroller is just that – can suffer a latch-up condition. In this state nothing works and even a reset cannot bring the microcontroller to its senses. If you want to prevent this rare condition, you will need to rely on an external watchdog mechanism. Those of you familiar with the works of Murphy will know that his First Law states that if anything can go wrong, it will. If you ignore the possibility of latch up, it will come back and bite you… eventually.

Free Elektor Circuit – An NE555 Watchdog Timer – [Link]

Maduino Zero NFC is an IoT Solution

Posted on 6 December, 2019 by mixos

Maduino Zero NFC is an IoT (Internet of things) Solution based on the 32-bit Atmel’s SAMD21 MCU and NXP Near Field Communication Controller PN532, which is can be used for pay application, entrance guard system etc.

The Maduino Zero NFC based on the Arduino, users can program it with Arduino IDE, which is very easy especially suit for the none-programmers. There are also guide for users to learn how to use this board, with which the starters can learn the hardware and programming skill quickly.

Features

ATMEL SAMD21G18A: 32-bit ARM® Cortex®-M0 up to 48MHz, 256KB flash, 32KB SRAM, LQFP48
Powered by lithium battery(3.4-4.2V) or MicroUSB
NXP PN532，Near Field Communication (NFC) controller
Contactless communication at 13.56 MHz
PCD mode for FeliCa, ISO/IEC14443-3 Type A, Mifare, ISO/IEC14443-4 Type A and Innovision Jewel cards
Interface: I2C/SPI/UART/ADC/DAC/I2S/38*GPIO
Arduino Compatible: You can play it with Arduino IDE
More cost-effective and high quality than Arduino Zero
Working Temperature: -20 ~ +85℃
Default baud rate: 115200bps
Size: 40*55mm

more information and usage guide on www.makerfabs.com

NVIDIA MXM Compatible Motherboard for AIoT Applications

Posted on 6 December, 20196 December, 2019 by mixos

IBASE Technology Inc., a world leader in the manufacture of embedded boards and industrial computing systems, announces a new NVIDIA MXM compatible motherboard designed for AIoT applications. The MT800M-P supports the latest 8th Generation Intel® Core™ processor family, enabling customers to benefit from optimized processing and graphics performance and enhance I/O capability.

With the increasing demand of AI-enabled inference platforms, IBASE has developed the MT800M-P with an MXM socket for NVIDIA’s graphics cards (up to 190w) with GPU acceleration to harness its cutting-edge performance and responsiveness to power currently prevalent AI services such as speech recognition, image analysis, visual search and media processing.

“Combined with the latest MXM 3.0/3.1 GPU modules, the MT800M-P leverages the advantages of the NVIDIA’s GPU technology to deliver parallel processing performance with unmatched power efficiency,” said Archer Chien, Director of IBASE Solution Product Planning Department. “The MT800M-P is suitable for artificial intelligence applications in the retail, banking and transportation industries.”

In addition to four display interfaces and 32GB system memory support, MT800M-P offers rich network connectivity with four Gigabit Ethernet and high speed I/O peripheral expandability through its six USB 3.1, two USB 2.0, two SATA III, and six serial ports. Expansion is provided by a fast PCIe x16, a Mini PCIe and an M.2 (M-key) slot. The board measures 270mm by 220mm and has 24V power input. It runs on both Windows 10 and Linux Ubuntu operating systems.

MT800M-P FEATURES:

8th Gen Intel® Core™ i7/i5/i3 processors
2x DDR4 SO-DIMM, Max. 32GB
4x Intel® Gigabit LAN
2x DisplayPort,1x DVI-D, 1x VGA
6x USB 3.1, 2x USB 2.0, 2x SATA III, 6x COM
1x PCI-Ex16 (3x PCI-E x4 signal, optional riser card), 1x Mini PCI-E socket, 1x M.2 (M-key)
1x MXM socket supports NVIDIA MXM GPU card (Up to 190W)

No pricing or availability information was provided for the MT800M-P board. More information may be found in Ibase’s product page.

LoRaWAN Gateway for the Internet of Things

Posted on 5 December, 2019 by mixos

With the UG85, ICP Germany launches an intelligent and compact indoor LoRaWAN gateway that can be expanded in many ways.

The UG85 is offered with a 64-bit ARM Cortex A-53 with 800 MHz, 512MB DDR3 RAM and 8Gb eMMC flash memory. Eight LoRa channels based on the Semtech SX1301 chipset are available, which can be delivered in the frequency band for the respective target country. The UG85 supports version V1.0 Class A and C as well as V1.0.2 Class A and C and has a maximum range of 10km. A 10/100/1000 Base-T network connector, a serial RS-232 connector, a digital input and an output are available as standard.

The gateway functionality can optionally be extended by 3G/4G mobile radio with dual SIM slot and IEEE802.11 b/g/n/ac WiFi. GPS with an accuracy of less than 2.5 meters is also available as an optional extension. The UG85 supports a variety of network protocols, VPN tunnels, access authentication, firewall functionalities and management options. The serial port can be operated in transparent mode (TCP Client/Server, UDP), as Modbus Gateway (Modbus TCP on Modbus RTU) and as Modbus Master. The voltage input range of the UG85 is designed for the range from 9 to 48 volts DC. The typical consumption is 2.3 watts and under full load max. 6.5 watts.

Optionally, the PoE 802.3 af/at functionality can be added to the Ethernet connection and the UG85 can thus be expanded to a Powered Device. The housing is IP30 protected and particularly compact with 108x90x26 mm (L/W/H). Wall mounting or DIN rail mounting is easily possible. The UG85 is designed for operation in a temperature range from -40 °C to +70 °C. The UG85 can be operated in a temperature range from -40 °C to +70 °C.

From the sensor to the cloud, the UG85 offers system integrators a wide range of options for transferring their data to the cloud.

Specifications

Indoor LoRaWAN Gateway
Up to 8 simultaneous channels
Up to 10km range
Interfaces: Ethernet, WiFi, 3G/4G mobile communications
Compatible to LoRaWAN Class A and C
Integrated DI, DO, Serial Ports and GPS
Robust housing for indoor use

Applications

IoT Applications
SMART City
SMART Infrastructure
Sensor to Cloud

more information: www.icp-deutschland.de

VersaLogic embeds performance, security and resilience in new “Owl” embedded computer

Posted on 5 December, 2019 by mixos

VersaLogic Corp., the embedded industry’s most trusted computer company, has announced a new compact and rugged embedded computing system with ECC memory. This is VersaLogic’s eighth product family released in the Embedded Processing Unit (EPU) format.

Named “Owl”, this new computer features error correcting memory combined with Intel®’s latest 5th generation Apollo Lake processors (dual or quad core). The Owl also includes TPM 2.0 security, on-board power conditioning, Mini PCIe expansion sockets, and analog input ports, along with standard USB and Ethernet I/O ports.

Resilient and on-guard

The Owl features soldered down ECC (error correcting) memory to enhance resilience to shock and vibration, and guard against single bit errors such as those that are likely to occur at higher altitudes. It also features on-board power conditioning which accepts 8 to 30 VDC input. This accommodates fixed and mobile 12 and 24 volt systems. Additional protection is provided against damaging transient voltages, over voltage, reverse voltage, and RF intrusion.

Small and tough

Within its 95 x 95 x 27 mm package, the Owl is an ideal balance of functionality and size for space-limited applications such as in unmanned vehicles on land, underwater, or in the air. The Owl is designed and tested for full industrial temperature (-40Âº to +85ÂºC) operation and meets MIL-STD-202H specifications for shock and vibration.

Secure

The built-in TPM 2.0 security chip provides hardware-level security for applications that require secure log-ins, encrypted data storage, protected files, etc.

Connectivity

On-board I/O includes dual Gigabit Ethernet, one USB 3.0 and four USB 2.0 ports, eight analog inputs, eight digital I/O ports, and four serial ports. A SATA interface, eMMC Flash, mSATA slot, and a microSD socket provide a range of data storage options. Dual Mini PCIe sockets accommodate plug-in A/D, Wi-Fi modems, GPS receivers, MIL-STD-1553, Ethernet, FireWire, and other mini cards.

Long-term availability

Like other VersaLogic products, the Owl is designed from the ground up for long-term availability (10+ year typical production lifecycle).

Modifications

Modifications to the off-the-shelf product are available for the Owl, even in low OEM quantities. Modifications include conformal coating, revision locks, custom labeling, customized testing and screening, etc.

Availability

Owl will be available in production volumes Q1 of 2020. Contact Sales@VersaLogic.com for pre-production opportunities.

I²CMini – A tiny USB to I²C bridge that is compatible with I²CDriver

Posted on 5 December, 2019 by mixos

I²CMini is a USB to I²C bridge. It can drive and monitor I²C traffic and measures just 18 mm square. It has a micro USB connector, a Qwiic connector on the I²C side, and .1″ pins for a breadboard or pin header. I²CMini is 100% compatible with I²CDriver, and like I²CDriver (i2cdriver.com) it’s an easy-to-use, open source tool for controlling I²C devices. It has a GUI that works with Windows, Mac, and Linux, and it has first-class Python2/3, C/C++, and command-line tools.

I²CMini is particularly well-suited for applications like IoT and drones, cleanly separating your SBC from the I²C bus. Because it is totally compatible with I²CDriver, you can develop on the I²CDriver and deploy on the I²CMini.

Like I²CDriver, it works equally well with Windows, Mac, and Linux. It uses a standard FTDI USB serial chip to talk to the PC, so no special drivers need to be installed. The board includes a separate 3.3 V supply for your I²C sensors and peripherals.

Features

Open hardware: the design, firmware and all tools are under BSD license
Fast transfer: sustained I²C transfers at 400 and 100 kHz
I²C pullups: programmable I²C pullup resistors, with automatic tuning
Dual I²C ports: a castellated .1″ header, plus a Qwiic standard connector
Jumpers: color coded Qwiic jumper included, for instant connection
3.3 V output: output levels are 3.3 V, all are 5 V tolerant
Supports all I²C features: 7- and 10-bit I²C addressing, clock stretching, bus arbitration
Sturdy componentry: uses an FTDI USB serial adapter, and Silicon Labs automotive-grade EFM8 controller
Usage reporting: reports uptime, temperature, and running CRC of all traffic
Flexible control: GUI, command-line, C/C++, and Python 2/3 host software provided for Windows, Mac, and Linux

Specifications

Maximum power out current: 270 mA
Device current: up to 25 mA
Dimensions: 61 mm x 49 mm x 6 mm
Computer interface: USB 2.0, micro USB connector

The board is live on www.crowdsupply.com and has 42 days to go.

FLIR Lepton Breakout v2.0 with Lepton 3.5

Posted on 5 December, 201916 January, 2020 by mixos

This is the brand new FLIR version of the Lepton Breakout Board. It is a very low level piece of hardware, exploiting the SPI & I2C interfaces for image and control transfer. Supports VSYNC for ensuring that video streaming has a consistent framerate.

The board is available for purchase on groupgets.com for $238.00 + shipping.

All New Teensy 4.0 – The Fastest Dev Board powered by ARM Cortex-M7

Posted on 4 December, 2019 by Rik

The latest offering from Teensy, Teensy 4.0 is the fastest microcontroller available today which is powered by ARM Cortex-M7 processor at 600MHz, with an NXP iMXRT1062 chip. Teensy 4.0 has the same dimensions (35 x 18 mm) of Teensy 3.2 and maintains compatibility with most of the pin functions on Teensy 3.2.

This board is based on an ARM Cortex M7 running at 600 MHz, the fastest microcontroller of 2019. The new board is also packed with two 480 Mbps USB ports, 3 digital audio interfaces, 3 CAN bus, and multiple SPI/I2C/serial interfaces backed with integrated FIFOs. For Programming, there’s an add-on to the Arduino IDE called Teensyduino.

When running at 600 MHz, Teensy 4.0 consumes approximately 100mA current. Unlike traditional microcontrollers, Teensy 4.0 can take advantage of dynamic clock scaling. Where changing the clock speed causes the wrong BaudRate and other issues on common microcontrollers, Teensy 4.0 is designed to overcome the issues to allow dynamical speed changes. Teensy 4.0 also comes with a power shut off feature. By connecting a pushbutton to the On/Off pin, the 3.3V power supply can be completely disabled by holding the button for 5 seconds and turned back on by a small button press. If a coin cell is connected to VBAT, Teensy 4.0’s RTC can keep track of date & time while the power is off.

Specification Summary:

ARM Cortex-M7 at 600MHz
1024K RAM (512K is tightly coupled)
2048K Flash (64K reserved for recovery & EEPROM emulation)
2 USB ports, both 480MBit/sec
3 CAN Bus (1 with CAN FD)
2 I2S Digital Audio
1 S/PDIF Digital Audio
1 SDIO (4 bit) native SD
3 SPI, all with 16 word FIFO
3 I2C, all with 4 byte FIFO
7 Serial, all with 4 byte FIFO
32 general-purpose DMA channels
31 PWM pins
40 digital pins, all interrupt capable
14 analog pins, 2 ADCs on chip
Cryptographic Acceleration
Random Number Generator
RTC for date/time
Programmable FlexIO
Pixel Processing Pipeline
Peripheral cross triggering
Power On/Off management
Dimensions (35 x 18 mm)

Benchmark Result:

Paul Stoffregen did a benchmark testing with Teensy 4.0 along with Teensy 3.6, Teensy 3.5, Teensy 3.2, ESP32, Metro M4 Grand Central, Arduino Due, Arduino Zero, and Arduino Mega. The benchmark is performed using CoreMark . The synthetic benchmark tests performance managing linked lists, doing matrix multiplies, and executing state machine code. The result clearly shows that Teensy 4.0 outperforms all the other candidates in the test.

As to mention the possible implications of this super-fast 600 MHz microcontroller dev board we can say. It can be used for polyphonic audio synthesis, it can also help with moderately complex machine learning algorithms, and real-time audio analysis. It can also accelerate graphics operations by offloading the CPU.

The board is available at an affordable price of only 19.95 USD here.

Developer kit delivers AI solutions to makers

Posted on 4 December, 2019 by mixos

Adding muscle to its SBC and IoT solutions OKdo, part of Electrocomponents, is now selling the NVIDIA Jetson Nano Developer Kit to its range. The kit comes with out-of-the-box support for full desktop Linux, compatible with many peripherals and accessories, ready-to-use projects and tutorials to help makers get started.

The Jetson platform brings what the company says is once unimaginable artificial intelligence (AI) applications within the reach of makers, inventors, designers and engineers.

High-performance and power-efficient computing are central to the kit. It is built on the same architecture and software that powers the world’s fastest supercomputers.

It also features NVIDIA’s JetPack SDK, which is built on CUDA-X and is a complete AI software stack with accelerated libraries for deep learning, computer vision, computer graphics and multimedia processing to support the Jetson Nano.

The kit delivers 472 Gflops of computing performance, consuming as little as 5W, offering applications in object detection, video search, face recognition and heat mapping.

It supports high-resolution sensors, can process multiple sensors in parallel and has modern neural networks on each sensor stream, and it complements many popular AI frameworks, so it’s easy for developers to integrate into their products.

OKdo is focused solely on single board computing (SBC) and internet of things (IoT). It is already endorsed by leading technology companies and is committed to expanding its impressive partnership network.

“OKdo is passionate about providing SBC and IoT solutions to anyone who has an idea they want to bring to life and working with NVIDIA’s world-leading technology is perfectly in sync with that vision,” said Richard Curtin, Global SVP Technology at OKdo. “Inspiring people to create the next big thing is close to our hearts and we are hugely excited to announce this collaboration with NVIDIA to make AI more accessible for engineers globally.”

“The Jetson Nano Developer Kit is ideal for bringing the power of modern AI to a small, easy-to-use platform–enabling the development of AI-powered robots, drones, intelligent video analytics enabled-devices, AI IoT devices, and other autonomous machines,” said Murali Gopalakrishna, Head of Product Management for autonomous machines at NVIDIA. “OKdo’s strong position in the electronics development maker community will enable developers to get engaged and develop new and exciting AI applications.”

OKdo is all about bringing technology to life for everyone, whether they are makers, an entrepreneur looking to develop the next market leading product, or a design engineer who wants to use the latest technology to change the world we live in. Building an accessible range around software, hardware, services and solutions is a key component of their customer promise and the cooperation with NVIDIA fits perfectly.

The Jetson Nano Development Kit is available now at £79.99 from OKdo.com.